Collar support for shirts



March 3, 1942. I. F. WELCH 2,275,098

COLLAR SUPPORT FOR'SHIRTS Filed Dec. 31, 1940 T v 1.2? Wzciz IN VEN TOR.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Mar. 3, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to a collar support for shirts and is designed primarily for use by laundries.

It is a fact well known to those skilled in the art that when a shirt having an attached collar is laundered, it is a diflicult matter to keep the front portion of the collar from becoming crushed. It is also difficult to prevent the tips or wings of the collar from curling outwardly.

An object of the present invention is to provide a device which can be positioned readily in a shirt and, when properly located, will support the front portion of the collar and also serve to hold the tips or wings down against the front of the shirt so that they will not tend to curl outwardly.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawing the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawing Figure 1 is a plan view of the support prior to being folded and inserted into a shirt.

Figure 2 is a plan view of a portion of a shirt showing the device applied to the collar thereof.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, l designates a flat arcuate strip of cardboard or other suitable material the width from one arcuate edge to the other being substantially equal to the height of the neckband of a shirt. Connected to the middle portion of the convex edge of this band or strip I by means of an integral web 2 is a front guard or shield 3 having oppositely extended wings 4 spaced from the convex edge 5 of band I by upper slots 6. Formed within each of the wings 4 is a lower slot 1. These slots are alined and located adjacent to the ends of the wings and equidistant from the slot 6.

In practice, after the shirt has been laundered, the device constituting the present invention is folded at the web 2 and the wings 4 of shield 3 are inserted between the ends or wings W of the collar C so that the tips T of the wings W can enter the two slots 1. The strip or band I is then inserted into the neck opening of the shirt where it will fit snugly against the front and side portions of the neckband and serve to support the same so that it will not become crushed when packed prior to delivery. By eliminating this crushing action the tips T will not be caused to curl outwardly and this will be further prevented by those portions of the shield 3 which ing a neckband with an attached collar including wings, said support including a bendable strip of stiffening material of a width substantially equal to the height of the neckband of a shirt, said strip being proportioned for insertion into the neck opening of a shirt, a stiffening guard member having spaced wing-receiving slots adjacent to the respective side portions thereof and closed at their ends, those portions of the guard between the free end thereof and the slots constituting means for overlying the tip portions of the collar wings and holding them against the front of the shirt, and a bendable web integral with and connecting the guard and strip, there being opposed slots between the guard and strip, positioned to receive the front free end portions of the collar of the shirt.

2. A support for the collar portion of a laundered shirt, comprising a single piece of stiffening material including an elongated strip having parallel arcuate longitudinal edges, the distance between said edges being substantially equal to the height of the neckband of a shirt, a guard having spaced lower slots in the side portions thereof and closed at their ends, said slots bein proportioned to receive the wings of the collar of the shirt, those portions of the guard below the slots constituting means for overlying the tip portions of the wings and pressing them against the front of the shirt, and a bendable web connecting the guard to one edge of the strip, there being opposed upper slots between the guard and strip .at opposite sides of the web for the reception of opposed end portions of the collar adjacent to the neckband, those portions of the guard between the upper and lower slots constituting means for insertion between the wings and the front of the shirt.

3. A support for the collar portion of a laundered shirt, comprising a single piece of stiffening material including an elongated arcuate strip having opposed arcuate edges substantially parallel, the distance between said edges being substantially equal to the height of the neckband of a shirt, a guard, a bendable web connecting the middle portion of one edge of the guard to one edge of the strip, said guard and strip oooperating to provide opposed upper slots for the reception of the end portions of the shirt collar adjacent'ito theneckband, and spacediiowerl slots in the guard closed at their ends and positioned for the reception of the wings of the shirt collar, those portions of the guard between the lower spaced slots and one edge of the guard constituting means for overlying and exerting backward pressure against the tip portions of the wings adjacent to the tips thereof and those portions of the guard between the upper and lower slots providing means for extending back of and supporting the wings.

IVY F. WELCH. 

